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Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

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Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#21

Post by WhompingWindows »

sokoloff wrote: post #9
jgwil2 wrote: post #3

Neither of these companies is actually adding any value at all as far as I can tell. Uber is undercutting taxis/transit with investor-subsidized rides and still has no idea how it's going to turn a profit unless it becomes the only ride in town. WeWork is pure middleman with some good branding. It amazes me that people believe these valuations. However, I can't agree with the cat comment; I'm sure Uber engineering ar…

I think Uber (and Lyft) are absolutely adding value. I now regularly take ride shares when I would previously have driven or extremely reluctantly taken cabs. I also talk to my rideshare drivers and the platforms provide some much needed cashflow (and perhaps day-filling) for people who seem genuinely happy to avail themselves of the income opportunity provided. I see no reason to think that those two companies could…

They may add value vs taxis, but would Uber or Lyft add value vs any other startup taxi service?

Expanding further, How about a taxi-app you and I could sit down and hack out? How much value-add is there in an Uber or Lyft vs what we could do?

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#23

Post by WhompingWindows »

trillic wrote: post #11
ellyagg wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On a personal note, I hope you're wrong, because Uber has added a ton of value to my life.

Yes it has, mine too, I love cheap, easy rides. What makes that possible though is because Uber is essentially selling $1 bills for 75 cents. Uber at the prices it currently charges in most markets is not sustainable.

Will they eventually just charge that $1 or $1.10 for profitability? If so, would you still use them?

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#24

Post by conanbatt »

buboard wrote: post #20
conanbatt wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A billion rides a day in almost every single country in the world.

I dont think uber is very useful outside the US

Only HN's can think their opinion is worth more than millions of people spending and earning money in more than 50 countries.

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#25

Post by hugofirth »

sam_lowry_ wrote: post #8
fabiofzero wrote: post #5

I hate to agree with this asshat, but he's right.

Oracle Linux, its flagship database and many of their products are utterly worseless.

I don't like Oracle any more than the next person, but this just isn't true at all. Oracle is a robust product which fills an important part of any technical stack. Building and supporting databases is hard.

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#26

Post by WhompingWindows »

celim307 wrote: post #19
weare138 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an unlicensed taxi. The only thing Uber has done is somehow make taxi's worse.

Idk what taxi's you used but outside of a handful of cities, getting a taxi was terrible. Even when I lived in Chicago I had to call the dispatch, who would give me a 10-15 minute wide estimate of their arrival time, and often idled at a random spot in my building and I would have to walk back and forth across the complex to find it. Uber and Lyft are insanely better than that.

Yeah, I recall calling up asking for a ride in Chicago. It'd be someone who spoke very unclearly on the phone, "You want a pickup for 6am going to the airport? Okay" and hangs up. So...did you get that? Did you schedule it? Email confirmation? It was not great service.

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#27

Post by nugget »

jgwil2 wrote: post #3

Neither of these companies is actually adding any value at all as far as I can tell. Uber is undercutting taxis/transit with investor-subsidized rides and still has no idea how it's going to turn a profit unless it becomes the only ride in town. WeWork is pure middleman with some good branding. It amazes me that people believe these valuations. However, I can't agree with the cat comment; I'm sure Uber engineering ar…

Uber is the reason I no longer need to take out local currency when I am traveling in Europe. I'd happily pay a 50% or greater premium to avoid the hassle of dealing with local taxi companies.

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#28

Post by daveed »

buboard wrote: post #20
conanbatt wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A billion rides a day in almost every single country in the world.

I dont think uber is very useful outside the US

I mean, it's been very useful while travelling in countries where taxi drivers rip you off after the ride, and I don't speak the local language.

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#29

Post by favorited »

conanbatt wrote: post #10
weare138 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an unlicensed taxi. The only thing Uber has done is somehow make taxi's worse.

A billion rides a day in almost every single country in the world.

And losing money with every one of them!

Re: Oracle’s Larry Ellison Calls Uber and WeWork ‘Almost Worthless’

#30

Post by spelunker »

jgwil2 wrote: post #3

Neither of these companies is actually adding any value at all as far as I can tell. Uber is undercutting taxis/transit with investor-subsidized rides and still has no idea how it's going to turn a profit unless it becomes the only ride in town. WeWork is pure middleman with some good branding. It amazes me that people believe these valuations. However, I can't agree with the cat comment; I'm sure Uber engineering ar…

Do you remember what getting a taxi was like before Uber/Lyft? Uber is a cash burning machine for the investor, but it's definitely adding value as a customer.
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